To contain secrets in the first two cities to produce plutonium—Richland, Wash., and Ozersk, Russia—American and Soviet leaders created plutopias: communities of families living in highly subsidized, limited-access atomic towns. But the migrants, prisoners, and soldiers who often performed the most dangerous work at the plants were banned, relegated to temporary “staging grounds.” Historian Kate Brown, author of Plutopia, shows how the plants’ segregation of permanent and temporary workers (and of nuclear and nonnuclear zones) created a bubble of immunity where accidents were glossed over, and plant managers freely polluted: In four decades, the Hanford and Maiak plants each issued at least four Chernobyls’ worth of radioactive isotopes—meaning their isolated plutopias concealed disasters that remain highly unstable and threatening today.
Thanks to Seattle Town Hall and  Elliott Bay Books
Watch Pirate Television in King County channel 29/77  Mondays 8-9pm, Thurs. 1-2pm, & Sat. 1-2am PST or streaming live on Seattle Community Media.  Pirate TV streams several times a week on Puget Sound Access.  Pirate TV also broadcasts on Free Speech TV: Details listed in FStv Schedule.  See also: FStvPirateTV Website,  Pirate TV Archive: www.PirateTVSeattle.com